Mala (CD)

Devendra Banhart

1 Used

Amoeba Review

03/11/2013

Though Devendra Banhart coos “get on the dancefloor” on the brief opener “Golden Girls” of his eighth album, Mala, the album is a more subdued affair than some of his previous work, preferring summery acoustic strums and hushed vocals. What cuts through on Mala are his lyrics and melodies. On “Your Fine Petting Duck,” a light, ’50s pop arrangement is undercut by atonal female vocals and Banhart’s self-deprecating diatribes (“If he ever treats you bad/Please remember how much worse I treated you”). He’s certainly toned down the vocal tics that made him come off like Marc Bolan’s long-lost son on albums like Rejoicing the Hands, instead relegating them to subtle coloring on songs like the lovely, electro-tinged “Für Hildegard Von Bingen.” Banhart’s focus seems to be on making an emotional impression, either through his lyrics or gorgeous arrangements — “Never Seen Such Good Things” has such a warm, good-times vibe to its beachside folk that you almost miss how elegantly put together the song is, starting with a skittering two-chord verse and moving into a beautifully layered chorus that makes the most of swimming electronics and reverbed guitar without overdoing anything. Mala is occasionally too subtle for its own good, and you miss some of Banhart’s antics. But he hasn’t totally mellowed with age, delivering some of his trademark strange vocals on album closer “Taurobolium” that waver in competition to oscillating synths in the background. Banhart sings that there’s “so much desire left in me,” and you’re left wanting to listen to Mala all over again to experience its warmth and catch its nuances.